Genius Ways to Make Extra Cash Fast!

If you're in a money crunch (and who isn't?), you can do one of two things: Sulk or go out and earn some extra dough. We vote for the second. Here, inventive ways to line your purse with a little more green.

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1. Sell stuff on
eBay. Clothes, exercise gear, books, housewares — anything you've got lying around that's in decent shape can be put up for sale on eBay or another Internet auction site such as
craigslist.org. Post decent digital photos of your items so browsers can really see what you're pawning off; credibility is key to making a sale. Also, ask that the buyer pay the shipping charges, not you.

2. Become a dog-walker or pet-sitter. Rates for walking a single pooch at a time run from $10 to $15 per half-hour. If you critter-sit at a client's house while they're at work or on vacation, you can make even more dough. Post ads for yourself at veterinarian offices and the Humane Society, and put signs up at dog runs to spread the word.

3. Tutor struggling students. If you have strong writing or math skills (and the grades/résumé to prove it), check in with schools and learning centers and offer yourself up as a tutor. If you're a college student or recent grad living near a university, contact the academic department of the subject you excel in and see if they're looking for tutors.

4. Sign up with a temp agency. Even in tough times, temp agencies still have openings for office work or retail help during evenings and weekends, so you can work a regular job yet take on the occasional shift elsewhere. Yeah, it's not the ideal way to spend a Saturday, but you can rack up at least a $100 for a day's work.

5. Hold a mega-garage sale with friends. There's strength and money in numbers. Combining lots of items for a blow-out rummage or stoop sale will bring in more crowds (and cash) than if you sat in your driveway with just your own wares.

6. Be a babysitter. Contact local churches and schools and advertise your kid-sitting services, using friends and family as references to vouch that you're a natural with kids (if you know CPR, make that known as well). It won't cramp your social life to spend a Friday night here or Sunday afternoon there minding some rug rats. Rates range from $10-$18 an hour, more if you take on a gig for parents in a pinch.

7. Get crafty. If you make crafts of any kind (knitting, jewelry-making, pottery, T-shirt designs, for example) advertise your goods on the superpopular site etsy.com. Listing yourself and what you can make is cheap, and you're instantly connected to millions of shoppers worldwide looking to buy original, eclectic gear.

8. Personal shop for male friends and coworkers. If you love to shop and earn kudos for picking out great gifts for people, offer to hit the malls or go through catalogues and help pick out presents for the girlfriends, mothers, and wives of shopping-averse guys. They'll be grateful for the time you save them, and they'll have more trust in your instincts that the gift ideas you come up with will win raves. Consider charging 10-20 percent of the cost of whatever you're shopping for, plus gas if you have to hit the road to get it.

9. Sign on with a catering company. Caterers have huge turnover and always need to recruit new reliable, presentable employees to work weekend weddings and parties as waiters, bartenders, and hostesses. You'll earn about $12 an hour.

10. Take on seasonal work. Even when the economy sucks, business still goes up (though not as high as in banner years) for companies and stores during the December holidays. They may not be hiring as many people as when the economy was in top shape, but it can't hurt to stop by your local mall and look into gift-wrapping and retail sales opportunities. Valentine's Day, Easter, and Mother's Day are also busy times for service and retail companies, and they're prime time to reach out to neighborhood florists, who always need delivery help then.

And here are a few ways NOT to stretch your extra money:

1. Break your birth-control pills in half.

2. Put your rottweiler on a diet.

3. Get laser hair removal for half off at a salon training night.

4. Give your "gently used" toilet paper another go.

5. Skip the liquor store and come up with new cocktail ideas involving mouthwash and vanilla extract.

6. Take advantage of the low fares offered by What's That Noise? Airlines.